Marquette beat Xavier 65-51 in Big East tournament final - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Journal Sentinel reporters JR Radcliffe and Ben Steele (right) discuss the Big East-champion Marquette men's basketball team.

Off to the side of the court, long after the 65-51 victory over Xavier on Saturday, one of the most revered players in MU history made the claim that this Golden Eagles team compares favorably to the Warriors who swaggered through the late 1960s and 1970s under the direction of the consummate New York showman Al McGuire.

The connective tissue to all that disparate MU DNA bopped around the court, handing out hugs and obliging the many media requests with all the questions a variation of the same theme: How did the head coach get this team to this good, this quickly?

MU has been one of the most efficient offenses in the nation – ranked in the top 10 for several months according to college basketball statistical website KenPom.com – and now its defense is rising to the occasion.

Todd Smith, the school’s assistant athletics director of applied sports science and performance, is one of a handful of support staff employees who was around back then.

The biggest reason for all that excitement around Marquette basketball is Smart, the Big East coach of the year and a favorite for the national award.